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What non-new films have you seen? (2022 edition)

Started by Famous Mortimer, January 01, 2022, 02:18:34 PM

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Quote from: PlanktonSideburns on June 04, 2022, 02:12:52 PMI enjoyed it thinking of it as an unofficial Elrond Hubbard story, but without that background context it would have felt like people pissing about for ages

Not much of a film if you've gotta know all this stuff going in is it? Compared to something like punch drunk love or phantom thread where it's a pure cinematic kick in the balls

Yes, I try really hard to not read up about a film before I see it so I had no idea where the film was heading. It was a strange experience. But because it was so long I didn't have any desire to go back and enjoy it better with hindsight.

zomgmouse


Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth


sevendaughters

saw Days of Heaven in the cinema, first viewing, probably history's least insightful film comment but wow what a beautiful looking film! maybe the most beautiful looking American film of all the ones I have seen!

dissolute ocelot

Modern Times (1936) Vast amounts of intelligence, invention, and silliness from the Chapster. The early factory/automation scenes are particularly great. The plot is picaresque and tries to meld satire with conventional romance, so it's a bit more disjointed than City Lights, although that's largely because there's so much more going on. Stylistically it's a bizarre mix of Soviet revolutionary and American popular cinemas. But it manages to offer intelligent and very cutting attacks on industrialisation and capitalist state control, while also having Chaplin on roller skates on an escalator, so it's pretty amazing.

Charlie's Angels (2019) Millennial workplace comedy, with the Angels reimagined as a quirky international corporation. Surprisingly, its biggest asset is Kristen Stewart's charm (really!). She also dresses as a jockey, if that's your thing. Plus Patrick Stewart doing his American Dad bit. Mediocre action, mild silliness, and no real feminist message (look after your WMDs, girls!), but better than WW84.

Also watched Fire Island (2022) which is very gay (and not non-new).

PlanktonSideburns

Yea Kirsten Stewart played a really great chaotic goofball character in that Charlie's angels film, never seen her do that before, would love to see her lean into that more alongside her other weirder stuff

bakabaka

Finally got round to watching Ishtar. Not as bad as expected/told, but Warren Beatty should not have attempted comedy (or any cinema at all from what I've seen). The sexism and racism oddly comes across as a failed attempt at being a Carry On film, rather than the Road To... movie it looks to have been intended to be.

Elaine May was such a brilliant improv comedian, it's a real shame that she never got to translate that into movie gold.
6.5/10.3

phantom_power

Quote from: PlanktonSideburns on June 06, 2022, 10:13:39 AMYea Kirsten Stewart played a really great chaotic goofball character in that Charlie's angels film, never seen her do that before, would love to see her lean into that more alongside her other weirder stuff

I think she plays a similar character in Adventureland, and is also the best thing about that film

PlanktonSideburns

Quote from: phantom_power on June 06, 2022, 10:22:03 AMI think she plays a similar character in Adventureland, and is also the best thing about that film

Ah will check that out in that case!

phantom_power

Striking Distance (1993) - a weird cross between an almost giallo-like serial killer thriller with a bog standard Bruce Willis action film. Apparently this started out much more like the former, and was called Three Rivers, before Willis interfered to make it more of the latter. Bad test screenings caused reshoots that muddied the waters even more. It is a shame because what you can see of the original film looks pretty decent and it is directed by Rowdy Herrington who made Roadhouse and Jack's Back, two cult favourites. More evidence to show that Bruce Willis is a bit of a cunt, it seems

Sonny_Jim

Watched that Spree film with yer man from Stranger Things playing an Uber driver who livestreams a killing spree.

Surprisingly shit, never really seems to work that well and I'm guess they were going for an Elliot Rodgers vibe with him, but it lands flat imo.  I think it's supposed to be a dark comedy about social media and whilst I did laugh, tonally it never gets it right.  2/5

Crenners

Quote from: sevendaughters on June 06, 2022, 08:51:34 AMsaw Days of Heaven in the cinema, first viewing, probably history's least insightful film comment but wow what a beautiful looking film! maybe the most beautiful looking American film of all the ones I have seen!

Saw it was on at Fact Liverpool if that's where you saw it. Just couldn't manage the drive on a Sunday night with an early start. Probably missed my once in a lifetime opportunity there. Glad you enjoyed it.

sevendaughters

Quote from: Crenners on June 06, 2022, 09:07:09 PMSaw it was on at Fact Liverpool if that's where you saw it. Just couldn't manage the drive on a Sunday night with an early start. Probably missed my once in a lifetime opportunity there. Glad you enjoyed it.

it was! deserves a week run imho.

Glebe

Just watched Underwater (2019), starring Kristen Stewart amd Vincent Cassel. Passable The Abyss/Alien knock-off.

joaquin closet

Quote from: Crenners on June 06, 2022, 09:07:09 PMSaw it was on at Fact Liverpool if that's where you saw it. Just couldn't manage the drive on a Sunday night with an early start. Probably missed my once in a lifetime opportunity there. Glad you enjoyed it.

It plays at repertory cinemas in London (the BFI etc.) fairly frequently, and with good reason... one of the bestest films ever.

Themed double bill idea: After Days of Heaven.

Out of the Blue (1980) (more Linda Manz) followed by The Right Stuff (1983) (more Sam Shepard).


EOLAN

Death of a Bureaucrat (1966)

Post-Revolution Cuban satircial slapstick, where a corpse is effectively the main character. Wonderful little film with plenty of direct homages to many other greats of cinema.
Wonderfully paced, with a good blend of comedy, personal drama and social commentary. The most impressive feat for me was the empathy with the nephew and feel the growing dread of dealing with the contradictions and rigidity of the bureaucratic requirements.

the science eel

Quote from: phantom_power on June 06, 2022, 10:22:03 AMI think she plays a similar character in Adventureland, and is also the best thing about that film

She's always good. I remember when they were all doing the promotion rounds for Charlie's Angels and she was quiet on Graham Norton when the others were hooting and carrying on. She can't do bullshit.

She makes intelligent choices with regard to roles too.



Famous Mortimer

Dollman

Maybe the best Albert Pyun movie, and the best Full Moon miniature thing movie; but that's not exactly giving it the highest of praise.

I just wish Tim Thomerson had had Richard Belzer's career, they seemed to be standups at the same time and did a few things together early on.

rjd2

Quote from: sevendaughters on June 04, 2022, 05:35:53 PMsaw Bresson's Pickpocket at the cinema today which remains a masterpiece. watched Loulou (1980, Pialat) last night which has Depardieu in good form as a petty criminal and randy sexman fooling around with a bored Isabelle Huppert. was good! French cinema, novel opinion, is pretty great!

I watched A Man Escaped also from him maybe a few months ago, that's fantastic and highly recommended.

4 Months, 3 Days And 2 Weeks  9/10

A Romanian student has a busy day ahead of her, has to help her friend go through with an abortion that is illegal from a shady person while raising money from many places most notably her upper class boyfriend who is in the dark regarding this and also wants her to join him for her Mother's birthday party that evening.

Its quite low key and their isn't many twists and turns despite the director teasing some, but nonetheless the tension is remarkable. The two most memorable scenes where the two friends barter with the increasingly agitated shady person and when our main protagonist joins the boomer party who casually taunt her with "simple people" when she discusses her background.

Top Gun 6/10

Going to see the new one next one so decided may as well see the original, its good fun all involved do decent work and the soundtrack for the most part delivers although I did expect better placement when it came to Berlin, but its relatively formulaic nonetheless.

Great Freedom 8/10

Released last year and on Mubi, about a gay man who is in jail for homosexuality after WW2 who forms a friendship with his cellmate which lasts decades. It doesn't fall for the usual prison cliches and its more a story about friendship than anything.  Franz Rogowski as the lead is excellent, horrific to be reminded that some people somehow survived the Nazi camps and then were sent to prison to serve time for their sexual orientation.


Sebastian Cobb

Okja - Bong Joon-ho and Jon Ronson film about a corporation that breeds a super pig that they bred 26 of and sent to a few farmers in different corners of the world to look after for 10 years then they'll be judged and one will be crowned the super pig. One of the farmers are a Korean family who live on a mountain, the daughter was 4 when they got the pig, Okja and has formed a bond with over the last 10 years. The company wants it back, the heartbroken daughter starts on adventure to get Okja back then the Animal Liberation Front get involved and it turns out they were a PR stunt for an evil GM corp ran by Tilda Swinson who ends up getting usurped by her more evil twin.

It was great, felt quite similar to Jean Pierre-Jeunet in some ways (bright colours, grand adventure in a stylised world, farce etc).

Sebastian Cobb

Limbo (the 1999 John Sayles one). This film is pretty unusual in that it slowly messes with your expectations at every turn. I guess the running theme is that events out of your hands probably won't be fixed with bravery or luck. There's a lot going on in this two hours but in typical Sayles fashion on screen is pretty muted really.

For some reason, despite being quite different stories I'm minded of Bill Forsyth's Housekeeping, I guess it's the dour uncertainty of all the characters.

David Strathairn is a cool guy innee?

rjd2

Le Trou 10/10

French film from 1960 which follows 4 lads in jail who are planning to escape but are introduced to a newbie who has shot his wife. Initially skeptical they bring him into the scheme . Their isn't many twists and turns whatsoever, but its easily the best prison escape film I have ever seen, the tension is incredible and most notably despite the nastiness of some of these guys always bubbling under the surface its impossible not to root for them.

The ending also is sensational and yes when its all said and done Melville probably isn't far of the mark when he said it was the greatest French film ever.


Crenners

Quote from: rjd2 on June 11, 2022, 01:35:22 AMLe Trou 10/10

Sounds amazing. I'll look into that. Got Wages Of Fear on my list, the French version, sounds similarly gripping. Might be a Sunday afternoon job.

rjd2

Quote from: Crenners on June 11, 2022, 06:40:03 AMSounds amazing. I'll look into that. Got Wages Of Fear on my list, the French version, sounds similarly gripping. Might be a Sunday afternoon job.

I have Express VPN and Wages Of War is on the European versions of Mubi but annoyingly none have English subs, hoping a nation picks it up and remembers Brexit means Brexit. It does look amazing indeed.


Inspector Norse

Yeah Le Trou popped up on Mubi the other day, think it might be just what I need to get me watching films again. Hardly watched any the last few months but I'm often like that, at other times I'll be on 4-5 a week. Livin on the edge

the science eel

Quote from: Sebastian Cobb on June 11, 2022, 12:14:51 AMDavid Strathairn is a cool guy innee?

Very.

Started to watch Radio On last night but it's just a series of images, really. Lovely to look at but fuck-all going on.

I might go back to it tonight, but....dunno. Life's too short, y'know?

dissolute ocelot

Quote from: the science eel on June 11, 2022, 03:38:19 PMVery.

Started to watch Radio On last night but it's just a series of images, really. Lovely to look at but fuck-all going on.

I might go back to it tonight, but....dunno. Life's too short, y'know?
I love Radio On but it is 50% series of images, 50% soundtrack, 0% vaguely angsty plot with something to do with German people. Frankly what more do you want than the British motorway system and Wreckless Eric though?

Small Man Big Horse

Nodame Cantabile (2009) - A Japanese film which serves as a sequel to both an animated tv series and a live action one, though I wasn't aware of that at the beginning. A brief bit of reading up on the show made it all make sense though, and I loved this extremely charming comedy drama set in Paris about young pianist Nodame who is in love with new conductor Chiaki, though he has no time for her and only obsesses about saving the orchestra he's been hired to conduct. To be honest I never quite understood just how much a conductor is involved in making an orchestra function, and the amount of rehearsing involved, so I found it fascinating on that front, but the music and humour and a dash of magic realism also made it captivating, and this is something I really loved. 8.8/10

Sebastian Cobb

In Search of Famine. It's the present day (filmed in 1980) and some filmmakers are in a Bengali village to shoot scenes for a film about the 1943 famine. It uses 'film within a film' devices to show how the lives of the villagers hasn't really improved since these days, and the crew don't really need to search at all, in fact their presence puts extra strain on the village, hoovering up what little provisions the places has. The villagers were also quite accepting at first but when they lose an actor and need to cast someone as a prostitute they go mad because they think it shows their women as amoral.

https://thewire.in/film/mrinal-sens-akaler-sandhane-pandemic-famine

It was a pretty interesting film highlighting hypocrisy and touching on the caste system present over there. I found it quite hard to follow not knowing the history and the fact that they intentionally don't make much effort to distinguish between the "in film" scenes and the "present day". Also the subtitles ended up getting lost in the background sometimes. There's a copy on youtube:


zomgmouse

Quote from: dissolute ocelot on June 11, 2022, 10:05:13 PMI love Radio On but it is 50% series of images, 50% soundtrack, 0% vaguely angsty plot with something to do with German people. Frankly what more do you want than the British motorway system and Wreckless Eric though?

seconding - def worth persevering with